Happy New Year friends!!! Checking in with some encouragement. You are so loved!!! God is with you. Keep going. Cheering you on always…

Alicia met God and already cultivated a relationship of dependence on Him starting at age 4. She knew Him as Father. Not long after He gave her a heart for the fatherless. She learned about the one child law at age 9, started learning Mandarin by age 11 and started traveling to Taiwan and China at age 15. She moved to Taiwan at age 22 to tell the fatherless they have a Father. The Lord gave her that goal and vision at age 11. Already knowing that growing up spared her from a lot of things. Hearing her heart for Father and for others is stunning. Alicia then shared about how she met her husband and the 9 year journey they shared becoming parents themselves. She shares, “there’s something so overflowing of joy in life when we haven’t tried to keep it because we do lose our life when we try to keep it but we find our life when we lose it.” She said, “When scripture says, “when we lose it”, that means when we surrender it to the Lord.” Alicia’s story is so full of His hope and encouragement and love. She lives her life fully and genuinely surrendered and open to Him-what beauty. ✨God Stories with Cassie Instagram: @godstorieswithCassie ✨God Stories with Cassie Email: [email protected]

About a year ago Rachel went to be with the Lord. Before she passed, she said “yes!” to sharing her God story on my podcast. Unfortunately she passed before we were able to record. My mom, one of Rachel’s good friends, had the idea to have some of the closest people to Rachel share on her behalf about Rachel and her story. Tarsha, Ginny and my mom, Terri share what they loved about Rachel, how she impacted them and what they know of her God story. Words like “fighter”, “determined”, “gracious”, “great mom”, “intentional”, “no fear of death”, “faith filled” and more were all used to describe Rachel. She was incredible and her friends did a great job giving us a glimpse into the heart and life of Rachel and her story. ✨God Stories with Cassie Instagram: @godstorieswithCassie ✨God Stories with Cassie Email: [email protected]

Courtney described her relationship with God as “surface level” until she really needed him after having her twin boys at 26 weeks. Through that experience she grew in relationship and dependence on Him and really began to trust Him. Courtney shared how “sometimes God requires of us to be in a painful place but He is going to be there with us.” She believes that if God has ordained something then He will purpose it to work for His good. This conversation was so encouraging and I loved getting to know Courtney a little bit. ✨God Stories with Cassie Instagram: @godstorieswithCassie ✨God Stories with Cassie Email: [email protected]

Tarsha shared her story of growing up in church and learning God’s ways in a deeper way as she started taking some classes and going through some really hard trials. She sought the Lord and sought His wisdom and He was faithful in teaching her and so kind to bless her in new ways after hardship like divorce. She is passionate about living her life in God’s ways now and encourages us to do the same. Life with God won’t always be easy but the difference is that we can have His peace when we are following Him and His way. That’s what Tarsha has now. ✨God Stories with Cassie Instagram: @godstorieswithCassie ✨God Stories with Cassie Email: [email protected]

Kia grew up going to a church where any belief about God was encouraged. She described feeling a hole in heart where nothing could truly answer the questions she had and satisfy her soul. The Christians she encountered were mostly showing her judgement rather than love which wasn’t leading her to God at all. The Lord was so kind in drawing her in over the years and the walls she had built up slowly came down and she got to know Who Jesus truly is. How her life has changed since is beautiful. The peace that Kia has and the love that she shows because of God’s love is awe-inspiring. We can all learn a lot and be encouraged through her God story. His faithfulness and love shines bright in and through Kia. ✨God Stories with Cassie Instagram: @godstorieswithCassie ✨God Stories with Cassie Email: [email protected]

Tiffany Embers-Holubec shares her story of a rough childhood starting as a pre-teen knowing of her moms affairs and how that ultimately led to the death of her dad and later her mom. She shares how suicide is a permanent solution to temporary problems and is never the answer. Tiffany’s pain led to her making her own bad decisions that caused more pain. God radically saved her life and did gorgeous things in and through it. She is now so clearly passionate and sold out for Jesus and people coming to know His healing and freeing power and love. ✨God Stories with Cassie Instagram: @godstorieswithCassie ✨God Stories with Cassie Email: [email protected]

It’s been almost 4 months since I’ve released an episode and I’m so excited to be back with you. I recorded this in January while on bed rest. God gave me a message about “focal points”. I talk about who or what is our focal point and how can we make God our focal point and the benefits/importance of that. God is alive and present with us at all times. He adores us and we can trust Him. ✨ ✨God Stories with Cassie Email: [email protected] ✨God Stories with Cassie Instagram: @godstorieswithCassie

I greatly enjoyed my conversation with Regina this month! I first heard Regina share her story at a Story Tellers Live gathering and loved getting to hear more in our conversation together. Regina shares about the importance of having a good tribe. That we are better together. She said, “Not just being in proximity but building intimacy and relationship over time. That is what being in community and living life together really, really looks like.” Regina shared how community really helped her during some hard times like navigating the criminal justice system for years and pleading her brother and best friends innocence. Regina said that good and hard can co-exist and God doesn’t waste a thing. She shares a time when her daughter and all girls of color at their school got a threatening text message filled with hate during lunch. Regina decided to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance instead of her flesh. The way her response impacted the community and brought unity and change still has positive effects to this day. We talk about how our responses teach our kids and how she really wants to reflect God well in all she does. Like Romans 8:28 talks about, He will use all things to work together for our good and His glory. Regina’s life is evidence of this. ✨God Stories with Cassie Instagram: @godstorieswithCassie ✨God Stories with Cassie Email: [email protected]

Jocelyn had her first real encounter with the Lord while in Bible College where God spoke to her about her identity. Before that she didn’t feel seen or heard. After hearing God, she stopped caring what other people thought of her. She now knows the only One that really matters sees her and loves her. He led her to start a business, Risen Customs where she gets to spread God’s word. Check it out! ✨Risen Customs Instagram: @risencustoms ✨Risen Customs Website: www.risencustoms.com ✨God Stories with Cassie Instagram: @godstorieswithCassie ✨God Stories with Cassie Email: [email protected]